title: Clinical applicability of magnetic resonance imaging in acute spinal cord trauma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the clinical application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with acute spinal cord trauma (SCT) according to the type, extension, and severity of injury and the clinical-radiological correlation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic imaging [computed tomography (CT) and MRI] tests of 98 patients with acute SCT were analyzed to assess their clinical diagnostic value. The following radiological findings of SCT were investigated: vertebral compression fractures, bursts and dislocations, posterior element fractures, C1 and C2 lesions, vertebral listhesis, bone swelling, spinal canal compression, disk herniation, extradural hematoma, spinal cord contusions, spinal cord swelling, and posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The radiological findings were better visualized using MRI, except for the posterior elements (p = 0.001), which were better identified with CT. A total of 271 lesions were diagnosed as follows: 217 using MRI, 154 using CT, and 100 (36.9 %) using both MRI and CT. MRI detected 117 more lesions than CT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI was significantly superior to CT in the diagnosis of bone swelling, PLC injury, disk herniation, spinal canal compression, spinal cord contusion and swelling present in SCT. MRI detected a larger number of lesions than CT and is highly useful for the diagnosis of soft tissue and intrathecal injuries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Medical School of São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil, dionei.fm@terra.com.br.
authors.forename: Dionei Freitas
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.forename: João Simão
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: de Melo Neto
authors.forename: Lucas Crociati
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Meguins
authors.forename: Sara Eleodoro
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mussi
authors.forename: José Roberto Lopes Ferraz
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Filho
authors.forename: Waldir Antônio
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Tognola
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006406:Hematoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000175:diagnosis; D017846:Longitudinal Ligaments / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013124:Spinal Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult